''A Spectre Haunts Europe'' () is a 1923 Soviet silent

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

directed by

Vladimir Gardin Vladimir Rostislavovich Gardin 28 May 1965, born Blagonravov)
Great Soviet EncyclopediaUkrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

's production company VUFKU. It is based on

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

's 1842 short story ''

The Masque of the Red Death "The Masque of the Red Death" (originally published as "The Mask of the Red Death: A Fantasy") is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1842. The story follows Prince Prospero's attempts to avoid a dangerous plag ...

''. The film features a massacre on the Odessa Steps which may have served as an inspiration for the more famous scene in

Sergei Eisenstein Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein; (11 February 1948) was a Soviet film director, screenwriter, film editor and film theorist. Considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, he was a pioneer in the theory and practice of montage. He is no ...

's ''

Battleship Potemkin '' Battleship Potemkin'' (, ), sometimes rendered as ''Battleship Potyomkin'', is a 1925 Soviet silent epic film produced by Mosfilm. Directed and co-written by Sergei Eisenstein, it presents a dramatization of the mutiny that occurred in 1905 ...

''. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

. Cameraman Boris Zavalev filmed the movie on location in Crimea. Many reference sources list the film as 1921, but it was actually only released in 1922. This is one of the few silent horror films ever made in Russia, the other notable titles being ''The Queen of Spades'' (1910 and 1916) and ''The Vij'' (1908 and 1916).Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 257..

Plot

The conceited leader of an unnamed European nation comes across a young shepherdess while walking outdoors. He falls in love with her, but Fate has preordained that he must suffer because of the way he has enslaved and mistreated his people. The girl's father turns out to be the leader of a band of revolutionaries who are seeking to overthrow the despot. The plot does not closely follow the Edgar Allan Poe short story at all.

Cast

Zoya Barantsevich Zoya Barantsevich () was a film actress in the Russian Empire. Selected filmography * 1914 — ''Anna Karenina (1914 film), Anna Karenina'' * 1916 — '':ru:Сказка синего моря, Tale of the Blue Sea'' * 1916 — ''Нелли Р ...

Oleg Frelikh Oleg Nikolayevich Frelikh (; 24 March 1887 – 6 September 1953) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor and director. Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1947). Biography Oleg Frelikh was born on 24 March 1887 in Moscow. He graduated from the la ...

* Evgeniy Gryaznov *

Lidiya Iskritskaya-Gardina Lidiya is a feminine given name. People *Lidiya Alekseyeva (1924-2014) Russian basketball player *Lidiya Alfeyeva (born 1946), a Soviet long jumper *Lidiya Belozyorova (1945–2022), Ukrainian actresses *Lidiya Ginzburg (1902–1990), a major S ...

* Ivan Kapralov *

Vasili Kovrigin Vasili, Vasily, Vasilii or Vasiliy (Russian: Василий) is a Russian masculine given name of Greek origin and corresponds to ''Basil''. It may refer to: *Vasily I of Moscow Grand Prince from 1389–1425 *Vasily II of Moscow Grand Prince fro ...

* Iona Talanov * Karl Tomski * Vladimir Yegorov

References

Bibliography

* Taylor, Richard. ''Battleship Potemkin: The Film Companion''. I.B.Tauris, 2001.

External links

* 1923 films Soviet silent feature films 1920s Russian-language films Films based on works by Edgar Allan Poe Films directed by Vladimir Gardin Soviet black-and-white films Soviet horror films 1923 horror films Silent horror films 1920s rediscovered films Rediscovered Soviet films 1920s Soviet films Russian-language horror films {{1920s-horror-film-stub